Broken Promises
by Beeria
Summary: If she was able to bring a smile or a laugh out of him then I would give up on him. She always had the victory in the first place. [Tifa's POV. Set in Game]


Disclaimer: I don't own them, SquareEnix does. No profit is being made

_Speech in italics are direct quotes from the game_

**Broken Promises**

My crimson eyes glanced longingly at the blonde beside me but I knew he would never return that gaze. His mind was set on another and that was why we were here. Aeris had disappeared the night before and now the Avalanche group had reached the city of the Ancients to rescue her. Cloud knew exactly where she was.

"_I feel it in my soul."_

I was jealous of the connection Cloud and Aeris shared but I didn't hate Aeris. It was not possible to hate the cheerful and sweet flower girl. Besides, it was not as though Aeris had done anything wrong. Cloud was not mine, which meant Aeris was free to flirt with him as much as she liked. I knew deep down inside that it was my own fault for not fighting for him. Maybe, if he had known my feelings, he would have returned them before he met Aeris. I had almost told him once. When I thought he was going to fall from the reactor to his death.

"_There's so much I have to tell you." _

He didn't fall to his death but to his salvation, Aeris. She was there when he opened his eyes. She had healed him, taken care of him. Now it was too late for me to say anything. Everything he did now was for Aeris. He was a completely different person. The Cloud I knew was indifferent and cold. It had annoyed Barret to no end.

"_You don't care about no one but yourself!"_

But with Aeris, he was kind and considerate. A couple of short hours from meeting her, he was storming the ShinRa building to rescue her with no regard for the danger to himself. If Barret and I hadn't caught up with him he would have gone alone. I'm sure of it. Barret and I were shocked by the behaviour.

"_I never thought someone like you would fight for someone else."_

And when we were captured there all he thought about was her wellbeing.

"_I wonder how Aeris is doing…"_

I was in a cell with Cloud. He knew she was safe but I could see it in his eyes that he wanted to be in the cell with her. He wanted to comfort her, protect her like he had promised her he would.

"_I'm your bodyguard."_

I remember vainly trying to block their voices out but when she mentioned the date they had promised, I lost it for a second and shouted out that "I got it," I understood their relationship. She was shocked to learn I was there and was genuinely sorry. That is why I couldn't hate her. She never set out to battle me for him; she was just confident and flirty like that. I couldn't help but feel jealous though that he had reminded her of his role as protector and that he had come all this way just to be her hero.

He was meant to be my hero.

He had promised me once, under a starry sky that whenever I was in trouble he would come and rescue me. But when I reminded him of the promise, the promise that he would be my hero, he shrugged it off and tried to get out of it.

"_I can't keep the promise."_

But for Aeris, he did everything he could to protect her. He was here, at the ends of the Planet and he was coming for her. He could feel his presence in his soul. I remembered Cait Sith's prediction in the Temple of the Ancients and looking at the way they were connected now, I found myself believing it.

"_Looks good. You are perfect for each other! Aeris' star and Cloud's star! They show a great future__."_

We descended the last few steps and finally, across the waters, we could see the flower girl knelt in prayer. The light cast over her, giving her the appearance of an angel. I stole another glance at Cloud and for the first time I smiled instead of frowned at the awed expression on his face. There was a glint of happiness in his eyes now that he had found her. If Aeris were able to make him happy, if she was able to bring a smile or a laugh out of him then I would give up on him. She always had the victory in the first place.

All Cloud and I had were broken promises.

A.N: This was written to make Cloriths fans appreciate and respect Tifa. She didn't hate Aerith and vice versa. I was trying to make them feel sorry for her…don't know if it worked though.

And a little bit sad for Cleris fans to since I made Tifa surrender at the point when it's Aerith's last moments…


End file.
